Build a mobile game with an independent developer

Games are built differently from apps

A business app succeeds when it works. A game also has to feel good: how a tap responds, how fast a level loads, how the difficulty grows. Those things are hard to judge on paper, so the first goal is a prototype you can play.

Common phone games are puzzle and casual games, card and board games, idle and clicker games, small platformers and trivia. Multiplayer, real time battles and big 3D worlds need much more work, so be clear about the scope. If your game should run in a browser tab, see web games.

Typical technologies

Most phone games are made in a game engine, which handles graphics, sound, input and publishing to both stores. Find My Stack can help you compare options.

• Unityi has a large ecosystem and suits 2D and 3D games. See Unity developers.
• Godoti is a good fit for smaller 2D games and is open source. See Godot developers.
• Native codei works for very simple games or when a game is mostly menus and cards.
• A small back end for accounts, leaderboards and saving progress, for example with Supabasei or Firebasei.
• Ads and in-app purchasesi if the game earns money. Each needs its own setup and testing.

An example plan in milestones

This order keeps risk low because you see the game early. Each milestone is funded before work starts and runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 weeks. Milestones are from 50 to 2,000 each in your project currency.

1. For example, weeks 1 to 2, prototype: core mechanic with placeholder art. Decision point: is it fun? Adjust or stop here at a small cost.
2. For example, weeks 3 to 6, vertical slice: one polished level with real art, sound, menus and save. This is how the finished game should feel.
3. For example, weeks 7 to 10, content: remaining levels or modes, difficulty tuning, tutorial, settings.
4. For example, weeks 11 to 12, services: leaderboards, ads or purchases if planned, analytics, crash reports.
5. For example, weeks 13 to 14, release: device testing, store pages, age rating and privacy forms, launch.

The weeks are for illustration. Developers set the length of each milestone in their proposal, and each real milestone runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 weeks. Tell the developer if art comes from you or an artist, because game art often takes longer than code. How to split a project into milestones shows other ways to cut a plan.

What belongs in the project description

• The core loop in two sentences: what the player does again and again.
• Two or three games that feel similar, and what yours does differently.
• 2D or 3D, portrait or landscape, single player or multiplayer.
• Art and sound: who makes them, and what style you want.
• How the game earns money, if at all.
• Target phones and the oldest versions to support.
• Number of levels or length of content for the first release.

How to recognise a suitable developer

Ask for playable builds or store links, not only screenshots. Check that the games run smoothly on modest phones, and ask how the developer tests on real devices. A person who asks about your core loop before the art style usually understands games.

A match scorei helps sort proposals. A developer needs at least 40 to apply, and 80 or more gets a Top match badge. Check whether the engine you want is listed under Expert in. Developers are independent professionals, not our employees.